I know why the Cage bird sings

Some music is utilitarian. Drums played a communicative role in colonial military music. Work songs existed in both the African-American and Native-American cultures to fight the monotony of day-to-day life. Sacred music has always aspired to add to the religious experience. Much music has been created for the sole purpose of accompanying dance. Lyric-based music (whether it be opera, minstrel music, Tin Pan Alley, folk or rock 'n' roll) tells stories. These stories are meant to evoke emotions. Even instrumental music (from classical to jazz) strives to evoke an emotional response through its structure. In the simplest terms, we think of minor key, slow, legato music as being sad and major key, fast, staccato music as being happy. Melody and harmony have always exploited the dichotomy of tension and resolution in an attempt to convey feelings.

Early in the twentieth century, traditional harmonic structures began to be questioned. Charles Ives began to experiment with polytonality, the use of more than one key simultaneously. Arnold Schoenberg composed atonal music, music lacking any tonal center. This new music was less about the heart and more about the mind. It defied simple categorization as happy music or sad music. It posed questions.

John Cage went much further. Cage attempted to study composition under Schoenberg for two years, but ultimately went his own way because he had no interest in harmony. Cage turned his focus to expanding the rhythmic and timbral boundaries of music.

Music has traditionally told us what to do, think, or feel. John Cage’s music forces us to ask what to do, think, or feel. As much a philosopher as a composer, Cage questioned the very definition of music.

In The Name Of The Holocaust (1942)


Why does a piano have to sound like a piano??? A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sound altered through the addition of foreign objects between the strings or on the hammers or dampers. After a span of exclusively writing percussion ensemble pieces, Cage was commissioned to write a piece for a space that was only large enough for one grand piano. By placing wood screws between the piano strings Cage was able to expand the timbral possibilities of the instrument.

Why does a piano have to be played like a piano??? Usually just the fingers are used to play the keys of the piano. In this particular piece the fist and forearm are also used. This innovation was most likely a result of Cage’s interest in percussion music. The volume and violence which this mode of playing allows effectively mimics the tragedy of the piece’s subject matter.

4’33" (1952)


Can silence be music? With 4’33" John Cage explored the concept of silence. Not a single note is played. The "music" is the ambient noise in the room, the sounds made by the audience. This piece blurred the line between composer, performer, and spectator.

What is music??? Cage was directly influenced by Robert Rauschenberg’s White Painting (1951) - seven panels of completely white canvas. These pieces are art and music, apparently, because the painter and composer say they are so.

Speech (1955)


What constitutes a musical performance??? Performers – check. Some sort of sound – check. Instruments – not necessary. John Cage’s "Speech" is performed by five people carrying portable radios and one person speaking. This piece was directly influenced by two technological advances around the time of its composition – the introduction of the pocket transistor radio in 1954 and the proliferation of television which resulted in radio focusing more attention on broadcasting music. Cage’s "music" was provided by radios, the most popular medium at the time for transmitting music.

What is composition??? What might, at first glance, appear to be random is actually carefully scripted by Cage. All of the performers’ actions were predetermined by chance through use of the I Ching, a tool frequently used by Cage. By completely removing any attempt to infuse the composition with his own ego, Cage left the structure of the piece up to the fates.

Chesspiece (1986)


What is a music video??? In 1981 MTV was born, debuting with "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles. In 1986 John Cage created "Chesspiece". If ambient noise can be music, then surely ambient noise on film can be a music video. In this work, the actions of the video camera are dictated by the I Ching while the movement of the chess pieces are dictated by the rules of the game. The "music" consists of the natural noises generated by a friendly game of chess.

What is John Cage doing??? John Cage’s music evokes not only feeling, but thought. Whether you respect what Cage is doing, or you think it’s silly, he forces you ask questions. Cage’s destiny was profoundly influenced by his father, who was an inventor. John Cage was an inventor too.